This invention relates to a method for ultrasonically sealing and cutting a dimensionally stable nonwoven fabric and more particularly to a method for manufacturing mops made from dimensionally stable nonwoven fabric sheets with resulting end or center sections and strands integral with center sections depending therefrom.
It has become familiar to associate mops as having cotton or similar fiber twisted or spun into strands which are held together by a band wrapped around the middle section and sewn to the strands. This type mop has been popular for cleaning floors in schools, hospitals and office buildings where the wet mop is used to apply a water base cleaning solution, such as a detergent, to the floor. After the solution is applied the mop is squeezed to remove the excess liquid and then used to absorb the liquid on the floor. This treatment of the mop has produced unsatisfactory results, such as: the wringer used to squeeze liquid out of the mop pulls strands apart leaving lint and broken strands behind on the newly cleaned floor, and cotton and similar fabric mops are likely to turn sour and foul smelling unless washed frequently which has been found to pull strands out. Further, cotton and similar fabric mops leave excess liquid on the floor because of their low absorbent capability.
Mops of different design characteristics have been tried to increase the launderability and absorption qualities of mops. One such mop is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,952, where the mop is constructed of several layers of cellulose sponge-cloth with the layers being generally rectangular in shape and having opposing ends with flat strips cut inwardly from the ends and communicating with an uncut integral center section. The layers are then gathered along the integral center section in such a manner so as to form an undulated gathered center section with the opposing ends directed therefrom. The method used to manufacture the mop includes stacking several sheets of cellulose sponge-cloth having opposing ends and cut inwardly from the ends to form narrow strips; retaining an uncut transverse center section between the strips. The uncut center sections are bound together by a band wrapped around the several sheets and sewn to form a mop head.
Other prior art mop patents disclosing methods of forming mops from sheets of fabric include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,320,372 and 2,595,776. In the former patent sheets of paper are assembled into a pad and folded as a unit along a center line. The assembled sheets are bound together by stapling or stitching and then slit to provide a plurality of strands and an uncut section which is fastened to a mop handle head. In the latter patent, plural sheets of paper material are divided lengthwise by a fold line to form a center section, and cut to provide a plurality of strands. The folded mop is stapled to a mop handle without any prior bounding of the several sheets to one another.
There have been many attempts to provide an inexpensive method of forming a mop using a nonwoven fabric. To date, the most widely used method has been to sew a band around the fabric or to directly sew the sheets of fabric together. Sewing a band around the fabric is time consuming and sometimes results in the fabric tearing when stressed by the wringer to remove water. Likewise, directly sewing the fabric can result in pulling and tearing the mop fabric squeezed by a wringer. It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive method for forming mops by an automatic continuous method without sewing or adhesively bonding the nonwoven sheets together where the bonds formed will withstand the stresses of being squeezed in a wringer.